Saddleback Regionals

Backpacks Everywhere!

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:57:00 GMT

Saddleback Church has launched a local P.E.A.C.E. opportunity to reach the needs of the students returning to school in September. People at Saddleback Church could purchase a backpack for ten dollars, take the backpack home and fill it with the necessary school supplies, and then return the filled backpack to church. Our Saddleback church regional campuses stepped in and took on some of the backpack sales and were able to bring in approximately 300 filled backpacks to be distributed to students in need, all over the county. That is amazing! Within the next few week over 1800 backpacks will be processed and delivered. This is great opportunity to reach the seeking by providing a "gift" for them this coming school year from Saddleback Church. I love this church!

Regional Campus Update

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:00:00 GMT

We are thrilled with what is happening at our regional campus locations! While some things remain the same (we still have the best donuts and coffee on our patios) some great changes are taking place: Saddleback Corona welcomes a new Campus Pastor, Dave Williamson. They are excited about the changes which are taking place as they move to a new ministry office and institute two Sunday worship services at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. The community has come together to celebrate with a church-wide picnic in the park and beach luau, and they continue to offer great children's and student events. Saddleback Irvine has moved to a new location for their weekend services. They are currently meeting at Northwood High School for the weekend and continue to use the facilities at El Camino Real School for their mid-week events and ministry office. As the student ministry continues to grow to 60 plus students, the need to split the junior high and high school becomes apparent. Plans are in the beginning stages. Irvine is also proud to bring Kid's Small Groups to their children's Ministry beginning in September. Saddleback Laguna Woods has settled on one location for most of the rest of the year. After moving around to different clubhouses, they have been able to now meet in the same location, settle down, and feel more comfortable. They are reaching out to the community with different events and exposing Saddleback Church to people who have never been to church before. The church has added round tables to their worship area which has been a great benefit to the attendees. Saddleback San Clemente continues to grow! In order to keep up with the growth, they now offer separate services for the junior high and the high school students. In addition the students lead their own worship services and have student bands. This campus is also getting ready to launch a new venue with a different style of music with the same great message. Kid's small group continues to minister to children who want to develop spiritually in a small group setting, and P.E.A.C.E. trip plans are under way for the Philippines. We are pleased to announce that our online campus is up and running. Now you can hear the inspirational message live from our Lake Forest campus via your computer. Not only do we provide the sermon notes for you online, but we also have live chat rooms, a response card, and the opportunity for you to send in a prayer request. The next time you find yourself out of town, or unable to visit one of our campuses, please join us online. Try something new and visit one of the Saddleback Church regional campuses or our online campus. After all, we are just one church with multiple locations, sharing the message of Jesus Christ.

Irvine Was Packed Last Weekend!

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Laguna Woods Update

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:01:00 GMT

Here's an email I sent to the regional team...it's pretty informal, which is normal for me. EXCITING STUFF>>>> We're opening a campus in the laguna woods village this easter. ITS GOING TO BE AWESOME. If you aren't praying for this 3 times a week, the Lord may punish you heavily. (how's that for a little guilt? Drop any real guilt you're carrying and pick up this pretend guilt.) I just got done meeting with the leadership team for LW. ITS GOING TO BE AWESOME. ITS GOING TO BE SO AWESOME THAT IT ALREADY IS AWESOME. I don't care if that doesn't make any sense. (yes, that's another evidence of awesomeness.) The passion to reach a new community from these guys is something you can almost TOUCH and SEE. Who are they? Rick Bradford is going to be serving this campus as the campus pastor. Ron Ferrante is going to be serving this campus with small group support. Joe Marchione is going to be serving the campus with ministry team support. (We're working on getting some team coordinator support, and will let you know when that happens!!) THIS CAMPUS IS SUCH A GREAT IDEA. I wish it were mine. It came from Rick and Ron about two years ago. There is so much potential for this campus, check this out: The first step is to build a crowd and solidify the core saddleback ministries. The second step is to build several programs that allow seniors to invest into the next generation at Lake Forest campus The next step is to take this model to other retirement communities and have them pour into local churches around them The final step is world domination. Soon we will have a campus for this guy to attend. (just kidding, sort of.) OK THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. MUCH LOVE TO YOU. THANKS FOR YOUR SERVANT HEART

HERE WE COME: LAGUNA WOODS

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:50:00 GMT

We made the decision yesterday, we're coming to Laguna Woods! We are hoping to make it by Easter, but we're not 100% on that date yet. STAY TUNED!

Saddleback Church-Laguna Woods

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Do you live in Laguna Woods? We possibly have a regional campus for you!! But, before we can launch a new regional campus in Laguna Woods, we need some folks to commit to attending Saddleback Laguna Woods. There is no doubt that they have the facilities to meet your needs and, with a campus where you live, you have the opportunity to enjoy inspirational Saddleback worship music and great teaching by Pastor Rick, from a location closer to your home. Join us on March 21 from 9:30-11:00 a.m. for a "kick-off" meeting and the chance to not only learn more about Saddleback Laguna Woods, but to commit to volunteer and attend this exciting new ministry that God is ready to provide, with your help. For more information or questions, please contact Linda Vujnov (vye-no) at lindav@Saddleback.com or call 949-609-8766. Saddleback - one church, many locations.

Get Up and Grow

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:03:00 GMT

What a scene! Saddleback Irvine had 249 kids in the children's program last week. As people continue to visit, and then call Saddleback Irvine their home, the number of children in attendance increases. Two Hundered Forty Nine was a record breaker for the campus. With the increase in growth, seven children also gave their lives to Christ during the Christmas service, and many more children are choosing to get baptized and serve in the ministry as a volunteer. The parents of these children are choosing to serve, and participate in the Child Dedication event. In addition, a whopping 63 people have signed up for the next C.L.A.S.S. 101. We are excited to announce the launch of Women at Saddleback-Irvine which will meet on Monday nights and Friday mornings at the Saddleback Irvine campus. The women will fellowship together in small groups while digging deeper into God's Word through a study called, "No Other Gods." A 15 minute launch party is taking place on February 1st. This will give women an opportunity to register for the Bible study and seek answers to any questions they may have. Saddleback Irvine continues pray for guidance and direction as they seek to meet the needs of the community.

What a Christmas!

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Saddleback San Clemente's Candlelight service Our regional campuses were able to conduct a total of eight services between December 21st and Christmas Eve, and great things transpired as a result. Our Irvine campus celebrated as seven children made a decision to give their lives to Christ. They baptized seven people, and were thrilled by the fact that thirteen people came forward to make a decision for Christ. Corona's Christmas service was highlighted by first time visitors attending Saddleback Corona, and people making a decision to change their lives and follow Christ. Volunteer from the campus delivered Angel Tree Ministry Christmas gifts to almost 60 families from Corona to Riverside to Banning. Between candles, carolers, and live animals San Clemente welcomed 1,658 people to their campus and a whopping 73 were first time visitors! Twenty-five people began a relationship with Jesus Christ and many more as seeking to gain information about God and the wonderful things that is able to do when people give their lives to Him. We are excited to see what God has planned for 2009 and Saddleback's regional campuses. We anticipate even more people visiting our regional campuses as we seek to meet the needs of the people in Corona, Irvine, and San Clemente.

Seven and Seven

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:27:00 GMT

This week, Saddleback Irvine was all a bustle getting the portable baptismal ready for baptisms. Following their 11:00 services on Sunday the 21st, Saddleback Irvine heated the waters and welcomed anyone who wanted to make a decision to be baptized. This day also marked the first of the Christmas services which continue on Christmas Eve at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. Not only did seven children decided to give their lives to Christ during the Children's Program Sunday morning, but seven people made the decision to get baptized. The sun was out, the water was warm, and men and women came forward to make a public declaration of their decision to follow Christ. I had the unique opportunity to witness the joy on the faces of the men and women who came forward for baptism. One boy from Korea made a decision to follow Christ while visiting the Student Ministries group. He picked up his Fresh Start with God materials and right away decided to get baptized. He is returning to Korea this Wednesday with a Bible, and a changed life! What a great blessing. How many more people will make a decision to follow Christ this Christmas season? Let's pray for thousands!

Christmas, Regional Style

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

It's will be snowing at Saddleback San Clemente! The candles will be burning at Saddleback Irvine! The service time has shifted at Saddleback Corona! We are excited to report that there is a lot happening around the regional campuses as they gear up for the Christmas season. December 21st marks the first Christmas service ever for Saddleback Corona and Saddleback Irvine, and the third year for Saddleback San Clemente. San Clemente will be mooing and bleating with a pen filled with animals for their annual live nativity between their 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services. Get your gloves on and grab your jacket because in addition to the wonderful Christmas services offered by all Saddleback campuses, Saddleback San Clemente will be dumping real snow at San Clemente High School for their "Snow Day." From noon until 3:00 on Christmas Eve, folks can enjoy snowball fights, sled runs, and compete in a snowman building contest, free of charge. Saddleback Irvine is hosting their first ever candlelight services at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve with the first of their Christmas theme services beginning on December 21st at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Saddleback Corona has shifted to one service time at 10:00 a.m. The stage will be filled with poinsettias and erupt with Christmas music and an awesome message from Pastor Rick on the 21st. December marks the tenth month for Saddleback Corona and Saddleback Irvine! God's work is marvelous!

Celebrate Eight!

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:33:00 GMT

8 months!Our Saddleback Corona campus has been blessed with the opportunity to be serving the community of Corona for the past 8 months, and threw an amazing party to celebrate.The congregation gathered for a 10:00 service on Sunday morning and welcomed members, friends, family, and kids. Three videos highlighted the past eight months, in between worship songs, celebratory testimonies, and announcements, unveiling the great ways in which God has blessed Saddleback Corona's eight months together, and the ministries which have grown out of their campus.Person after person took the "open mic" opportunity to share how Saddleback Corona has brought them into fellowship with other believers, allowed cohesiveness between families, and bonded friends through their involvement with small groups and volunteer opportunities.The morning ended with an amazing array of homemade appetizers, salads, and desserts. Tommy's Burgers was generous enough to donate chili burgers and fries for everyone from their portable trailer outside the gym, while inside the building the PICS ministry took Christmas photos for family and friends, free of charge.Saddleback Corona continues to draw people to their Citrus Hills Middle School facility each Sunday at 10:00, and nudge them into fellowship with other believers, by building relationships through community and small group involvement.The weekly worship music is inspiring the message encouraging, and, if you happen to show up at the next Saddleback Corona celebration, the food is delicious.

Choosing Worship

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Waking up early to attend church on Sunday mornings is not a regularly scheduled appointment on my calendar. I cannot remember the last time that our family attended church services on Sunday morning.Ever since Saddleback Lake Forest introduced the idea of a Saturday night service, and encouraged its members to attend we accepted the challenge, went, and never looked back.I had the opportunity to visit Saddleback Corona one Sunday morning. Finding my way around the parking lot was simple since I encountered four parking attendants giving me great direction.Upon exiting my car, and following the signs pointing me toward the worship center, I was greeted several times. I found my way easily and entered the gymnasium which resembled my first time visit to Saddleback Lake Forest.Seventeen years ago, people sat in chairs and in bleachers at Saddleback Lake Forest, listening to the words of Rick Warren after engaging in worship with Rick Muchow. The Corona Saddleback setting was comfortable and similar to the early days of Saddleback Lake Forest, but a few of the names and faces had been changed.I settled in easily. In other parts of the building children were cared for and ministered to as were students. Volunteers eagerly took their posts, resources were accessible, and the staff was friendly and encouraging - happy to ministering to the Corona neighbors.I get Sunday mornings - the ambiance and the tradition. I'm grateful for freedom of worship whether it happens on Saturday, Sunday, in a chapel, in a high school building, on a couch in a living room, under a tree in a park, next to a hospital room bed, at a corner booth in a coffee shop, or in a movie theater.Church isn't about a building or a day, it is about a moment, spending time in fellowship, worshiping God through music, diving into His Word, and meeting with His people.I am grateful for choices.

Bring on the Pie!

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT

The 40 Day of Love series is in full swing at all of our regional campuses!This week one of the verses used during Rick's sermon was found in Romans 14:12-13, "Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on each other."San Clemente decided to mix things up a bit at their campus and actually judge each other through an old fashioned apple pie bake off.There were crumb tops, double-crusted, caramel laced, and cinnamon sprinkled, apple pies for everyone. Portion cups were stacked next to plastic forks for tasting, and the tally sheets were printed and ready. The pies sat, sliced, and lined up next to their numbers. In between the first and second services, the pies were tasted and the scores were tallied. Blue and red ribbons hung from the shade canopy ready to be given the baker who's pie would be deemed, "The Best." In addition, to the pie "bake off" there was a pie eating contest! Children and adults shoved their faces in pans filled with chocolate pudding and whipped cream, scoffing down mouthfuls in attempts to be the very first to finish and return home that day with a blue ribbon as proof. The crowds cheered as the apple pies were tasted and the pudding pies were demolished at break neck speed. The ribbons for the winners were proudly displayed.Many went home that day not only filled with the flavor of apple pie, but filled with God's Word through great teaching.What a great day at Saddleback San Clemente.

Corona Spotlight

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:47:00 GMT

It was great to visit Corona this morning. Here are the highlights:Cari and Scott are experimenting with way to check kids into the rooms electronically. This will allow for better records, better communication with parents, quicker check in, and increased safety...all of these are really great things as we minister to the kids God has entrusted to us!Dave and Mike are headed to the Dominican Republic next week to connect with some pastors there to see about the possibilities of the Corona campus doing a PEACE trip. They are also going to teach Purpose Driven Church and train some church leaders. A meals ministry is starting, this was the first week they started taking names to see who is interested in serving.I met Sally who has been serving in Corona since the Campus opened six months ago. She first came to Saddleback in after reading the Purpose Driven Life, and didn't want to just attend church as an "outsider" so she jumped in and got connected by serving in a ministry. It was cool to hear how she's connected in our church family.I also met Suzy, her husband is home bound because of his disabilities; he watches the services online every week. She attends the Corona campus to serve each week, translating Rick's messages into Spanish. What a great servant! Very fun to see everything happening in Corona. We've been told that we'll need to leave the school in January...we're hoping this won't have to happen. Please be praying!

today was a good day

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:08:00 GMT

Today was a good day. I had a great time connecting with the campus pastors.I was a great time connecting with Tommy H, although it was short.I learned from Rick Warren that we're doing a 40 days of Love message this weekend, so we are going "week on," this week in the regionals. (meaning that we're going to take Saturday night's message from Lake Forest for the folowing Sunday in the regionals)I had a great time meeting with Mike and Dave to talk about ministry in Corona and the Spanish translation of the service.I had a great pastor's meeting with Rick, where we discussed lots of cool ideas for the sermons from now till the end of the summer.Scott and Jan went above and beyond on a project for me.

preparing for the next saddleback campuses

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:41:00 GMT

Life has been a whirlwind since last Easter, where has that time gone! The regional campus ministry is growing here in Lake Forest. We've added a staff member, Linda Vujnov. She's going to help with the next campus launches. Sometime next week we'll post some a little bit about who she is. This week we've been working hard to refine what it's going to take to open the next campus. We have lots of cool ideas to develop to give the campuses a smoother (I hope) and stronger launch. For those of you TYPE A personalities interested in long lists, click here for our launch strategy and check list. Where do you think our next Saddleback campus should be?

our Campus Pastor profile (beta)

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

What a Campus Pastor is: Loves Jesus. Called to serve. Designed for leadership. Believer in and doer of Saddleback DNA A campus pastor is able to do what we do (strategy) and how we do it (spirit) Charismatic and catalytic: A campus pastor is able to attract and ignite the crowd to fulfill the five biblical purposes Passionate A campus pastor is excited about an area and the people and wants to see them connect with Jesus and grow spiritually Innovator A campus pastor is able to contextualize ministry, solution specialist Relational A campus pastor is able to connect well, to a crowd and with individuals. Team Builder A campus pastor is able to lead leaders, develop people, and equip teams Learner A campus pastor is able to grow from feedback from others Pioneer A campus pastor is a church planter who is passionate to go into the unknown and build something out of nothing Flexible A campus pastor is able to change gears and directions-change is a constant at Saddleback! What a Campus Pastor Isn't (75% "done") Full time preacher Church planter looking to create a new strategy, a campus pastor is starting a new Saddleback ministry A ministry specialist, a campus pastor ought to have a dynamic range of skills A lone ranger who's middle name is maverick What a Campus Pastor DOES (50% "done"...this won't be an exhaustive list, just some of the practical things a CP will do...) Responsible for all Campus staff, programs and ministries Direct Oversight of Adult Weekend services Pastoral ministry Teach 101, and other classes as needed Shepherd 4-6 small groups directly Relational Connected to all ministry team leaders I'd love your feedback,What do you think?

why do we structure our regionals the way we do?

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:56:00 GMT

Another church emailed me and asked about our leadership structure, and I thought I'd post my response: "There are definitely lots of ways to structure the leadership for a multi-site church. Here's what we're currently using in our strategy: Each campus has a campus pastor, and all the staff at that campus report to the campus pastor. Each of the campus pastors reports to me. I'm on the pastoral leadership team that reports to Rick. Many churches use some form of a "matrix" style of accountability. This is, as I understand it, a structure where each person reports to two ( or more) different people. For example, the children's director reports both to the campus pastor and the children's director back at the "mother ship." We aren't doing this for a few reasons: 1. Companies that do this have much, much better management than churches. Their managers are trained to be managers. Most pastors can barely manage three people (speaking from my experience) I'm exaggerating of course! Pastors are better at caring for people than they are administrating a well oiled machine of a team. 2. In companies, the results and the bottom line are often clearly defined. There's a number than explain how well a person is doing. (By number I mean a sales target, or a clearly defined process). Of course we have clearly defined goals in our church (for example the 10x10 vision), but ministry is much more than these goals. You can "hit the numbers" and still be a bad leader. It's hard to quantify changed lives accurately. It's even more difficult when we're often changing our methods for fulfilling God's purposes. 3. Strategy is important (which is typically why you'd have the person in the regional reporting back to the expert back at the mother ship), but relationships are more important (in my opinion). The person closest to the relationships is the campus pastor, not the ministry leader back at the main campus."

our messages in the regionals...

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:00:00 GMT

the following are some thoughts I sent to the regional team about our communication....this isn't really cleaned up, nor is it a final version... just some thoughts to get the conversation about messaging started.What are the things we ought to be communicating? In our world, there are a thousand different voices and a thousand different messages. To lead well and to do great ministry, we must maintain a clear and consistent voice. Without clarity, our message will be ignored.Without consistency, our message will be forgotten. It takes discipline to be clear and consistent. It's much easier to communicate by impulse...whatever we're feeling, or whoever we last talked to determines out agenda. We don't want to be moved by these things. Influenced? Yes. Driven? No. We need simple definition and dynamic repetition. What is our message, and how will we say it? This post looks at the first question. The second question is for you to answer in your unique ministry context. These are the most important messages for a regional campus (BTW: I'd love your feedback on this) 1. You matter to God. God is love, and he sent his Son to die for the sins of the world. If we're not regularly communicating God's grace and the hope that he offers, we are far off target. Are you treating people like they matter to God? 2. A relationship with God is possible through faith in Jesus. Yea, there's a lot to unpack here: salvation, forgiveness, hope, joy, faith...that's the short list. After communicating God's love, we need to be helping people make the most important decision of their life. (the first two messages are clearly the most important, I think it's a toss-up for prioritizing the following) Attending the weekends regularly, it'll help you grow spiritually. If you want to grow, you need to be fed! Making the commitment to show up to church every week is a great thing because you'll have a chance to sing great songs and hear biblical teaching that's relevant and practical. Check out a small group. We're better together, and everyone needs to share the burdens of life with a few others. If you don't have a safe place to share and be yourself, then you're not living as God intended. Small groups are the backbone of our church! Tell a friend something they need to hear. Since God is doing great things in our lives, we ought to be sharing this with others: family, neighbors, friends, co workers...I'm not just talking about evangelism, but also with our friends who are believers. They too need to hear about where God is moving. Share the gospel, talk about what God is doing in your life, or invite someone to church. Tell a friend something they need to hear. Get involved and give back. God is all about transforming us to be more like Jesus. There are some things that he can only teach us while we are serving others because of him. Everyone is SHAPEd to make a difference, where are you going to start serving? In short, here are the things we ought to be talking about: GraceSalvationWeekendsSmall GroupTellServe As I talk about finding our voice, I'm not just talking about from the stage, in an email, or on a flyer. I'm talking about everything, EVERYONE communicates. When you're talking with someone on the patio, how often do you hit one of our core messages? They ought to be in the back of your mind so you can minister to people intentionally, and help them take the next step spiritually. What do you think? Am I missing something?

HUGE weekend coming up!

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:15:00 GMT

Last week we had a GREAT conference at Saddleback. Click here to check out some videos from the conference. Click here to see the "interview" with me... it's not very special, be prepared to be underwhelmed...THIS WEEK: RICK WARREN is teaching from the San Clemente campus and it will be live broadcast to all the other campuses. CRAZY! For the next four weeks, we'll all be on the same page.I spend some time today reviewing some of the debriefs each campus pastor does each month. I put them all into a file which you can download here if you want.have a great weekend!mattpersonal blogdel.icio.usemail (personal)email (saddleback)facebookphotoSTREAMsaddleback regional blogtwitteryouth ministry blogyouth ministry podcast